The Stax Report: A Documentary Showcase

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By Stax

Stax here with a Special Edition on Documentaries! Listed below are some of my favorite entries in the genre. For the purposes of this column, however, I've excluded documentaries that were made for TV or cable. Otherwise, the list would be too long!

The War Room, 1993, dirs. Chris Hegedus & D.A. Pennebaker. You don't have to like Bill Clinton to be riveted by this Oscar-nominated documentary about his 1992 Presidential campaign (but it helps, I suppose). This engrossing behind-the-scenes expose of what makes a successful political bid catapulted campaign managers James Carville and George Stephanopoulous into the national limelight. The War Room refers to the nickname of the campaign's Little Rock, Arkansas headquarters.

The film chronicles Clinton's transformation from a grassroots governor into "a player" (this story was later fictionalized in Primary Colors). It follows Clinton on the campaign trail from the DNC convention, to the debates with then-President George Bush and Ross Perot, and finally to his election as the 42nd President of the United States. The War Room is even more interesting to watch now knowing what was ahead for Clinton and his falling out with Stephanopoulous.

The Thin Blue Line, 1988, dir. Errol Morris. A real life "wrong man" drama about Randall Dale Adams who was falsely accused of murder based on the testimony of David Harris, a stranger he'd accepted a fateful ride from in 1976. Dallas police officer Robert Wood pulled Harris and Adams over and was subsequently shot dead. Based on Harris' testimony, Adams was convicted. Morris' film, which employs Rashomon-like multiple depictions of a single event, ultimately led to Adams' release from prison. Employing extensive interviews with both Adams and Harris as well as a memorable score by Philip Glass, The Thin Blue Line is a searing indictment of the U.S. criminal justice system.

- Taschen.com

Leni Riefenstahl

The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl, 1993, wr./dir. Ray Miller. This powerful documentary is about German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl who became the Nazis' foremost purveyor of propaganda. Life follows Riefenstahl's rise as a pioneering movie director and her personal relationships with both Adolf Hitler and Josef Goebbles. Riefenstahl herself was interviewed extensively for this film, which forces us to wonder whether she was an artistic pawn of the Nazis or a shameless opportunist who used her craft to further the regime's evil aims.

Although she was personally reviled after World War II, Riefenstahl's films remain almost universally regarded as aesthetically stunning. Her most well known works, Triumph of the Will and The Olympiad, are still taught and discussed in film schools. Jodie Foster has long wanted to portray Riefenstahl in a biopic but that controversial project remains mired in development hell.

The Panama Deception, 1992, dir. Barbara Trent. An interesting (albeit politically lopsided) account of the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. This riveting, Oscar-winning documentary purports to reveal the real reasons behind "Operation Just Cause" and to expose the media bias that prevented the truth from being disclosed. Given Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega's shady relationship with the CIA, the film suggests (sometimes relying on unsubstantiated, inflammatory claims) that once he became a problem for the U.S., he was earmarked for removal. The film also claims the invasion was far more costly and bloody than Americans have been led to believe. Despite its flaws, The Panama Deception is undeniably powerful and thought-provoking.

Elvis &#Array; That's the Way It Is (Special Edition), 1970, dir. Denis Sanders. This concert documentary was recently given a massive overhaul by its director, sprucing up the image and trimming and adding many scenes. This new, improved That's The Way It Is focuses more on Elvis' onstage performances and his work in the studio and spends less screen time showing Elvis goofing off with his entourage.

This "Special Edition" captures Elvis in that span between his '68 comeback and his tragic decline in the mid-'70s. While the Elvis seen here is the "Vegas Elvis," he hasn't yet become a bloated caricature of his former self. That's the Way It Is is a must-have for die-hard Elvis fans.

Francis Coppola

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, 1991, dirs. Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper. Anyone who dreams of being a director should watch this absorbing behind-the-scenes account of the making of Apocalypse Now and then decide if they really want to be a filmmaker or not. For its most effective sequences, Hearts utilizes footage and recordings (sometimes secretly) made by director Francis Ford Coppola's wife, Eleanor. Viewers witness all the now legendary snafus Apocalypse Now endured during its overlong and maddening shoot: Martin Sheen's meltdown and near-fatal heart attack, Marlon Brando's inconceivably bizarre behavior, acts of God and man, and Coppola's huge ego (and painful insecurities) getting in his own way.

The director himself likens the experience of making Apocalypse Now to its subject, the Vietnam War: "We went into the jungle, there were too many of us; we had too much money, too much equipment and, little by little, we went insane." Hearts of Darkness is an utterly fascinating study of filmmakers and the turmoil they face (and often create) for the sake of art.